The criminal chamber of the Thiès High Court examined the case involving C. Ndiaye, S.S. Dieng, and B. Ndiaye on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The three defendants are charged with criminal conspiracy, aggravated gang robbery committed at night with violence, and the illegal carrying and use of a weapon.

According to the investigation, the gang used a recurring scheme to trap motorcycle taxi drivers (known locally as "Jakarta"). The individual named C. Ndiaye acted as the bait: he would hire the drivers' services to travel to the Keur Modou Ndiaye area. Once they arrived at an isolated spot or in front of a fake residence, his accomplices would emerge armed with machetes to assault the driver and seize the vehicle.

Several victims, including A. Thiaw, A. Kâ, K. Diop, D. Sall, S. Ndiaye, and M.M. Thioub, testified to having fallen into the same trap. During the preliminary investigation, the accused had admitted to committing at least three such assaults and even returned one of the stolen motorcycles. A search of S.S. Dieng's home led to the recovery of a machete used in the crimes.

Before the judge this Wednesday, the defendants completely changed their story, denying any involvement and claiming they had never assaulted anyone. They took advantage of the victims' absence from the hearing to try to clear their names.

However, the public prosecutor dismissed these denials, stating that the existence of a "criminal enterprise" was evident. While conceding that they could not be definitively linked to all the robberies reported in the area, he argued the facts were clear in the assault of A. Thiaw. The prosecution has therefore requested a 10-year prison sentence for each of them.

The defense, led by attorney Me Faty, pleaded for acquittal, arguing there was no "irrefutable" evidence beyond the initial statements and that the benefit of the doubt should favor the accused.

The verdict is scheduled for May 12, 2026.